


Paper Memories

by missafairy



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Olicity Secret Santa 2016, single parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 04:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9055984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missafairy/pseuds/missafairy
Summary: Olicity Secret Santa 2016: Grumpy Christmas hating Oliver meets Felicity and her daughter Angie - the crazy Christmas lovers. They are forced to spend Christmas together and the Christmas magic happens :) Very fluffy and sweet, the summary doesn't give the fic the justice (I think...)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is an Olicity Secret Santa gift for Eleanor :)
> 
> P.S. English is not my first language so I asked my tumblr friend Bev to help me out a little :)

“Mommy, you sure Santa find me?” whined little Angie while looking out of a plane’s window. 

She stirred on her mom’s lap restlessly. Angie and her mother were flying from Staling City to Las Vegas to visit Granny Donna for Christmas. At first Angie was very happy because she loved her Granny, but later the three year old started worrying. 

“He brings presents home, Granny’s house not my home,” she added.

“Oh baby girl, I’m sure he will find you,” Felicity assured her and hugged her daughter tightly. “Santa knows everything,” she said.

“So… so is it Christmas already?” Angie wanted to know.

“Not yet, Christmas is tomorrow,” explained Felicity. Her daughter didn’t remember any previous Christmas, but this year she was very excited when her mother told her about the holiday.

“When is that?”

“It’s after the night,” said Felicity patiently.

“What if Granny decorated the tree without me?” she asked, her big, blue, sad eyes looking into her mother’s.

“She didn’t, I promise,” Felicity kissed Angie’s chubby cheek. “She knows how much you wanted to do that!” 

Angie sighed and rested her sleepy head on Felicity’s shoulder.

“We decorate it today? Or after night?” Felicity’s daughter closed her eyes and nestled in her mom’s lap.

“Today, as soon as we arrive” responded Felicity and covered Angie with a blanket. “Sleep my little angel…”

“No sleep, my ears hurt again” cried the girl and sat back up.

“You want a gummy bear?” Felicity looked for the pack of gummy bears and gave it to Angie. “Is it the last one?”

“Yeah,” she whined, “Can we buy more?”

“Sure, we can” said Felicity and looked around, but the flight attendant has just passed by and now was sitting on the other end of plane. Felicity would have to struggle to get out of her row with Angie in her arms and the girl was already a bit heavy to carry. Not to mention the seats were very close to each other, the space almost too tight for a slight move.

“You want gummy bears?” Felicity looked at the man who asked the question and then she realized she’s made a mistake because she couldn’t look away anymore. 

She struggled not to look at this guy since the flight has started and it was difficult because he was sitting right next to her… He was tall and muscular and his eyes were magnetic. And now he was offering her a paper bag with lots of gummy bear bags in it. 

“I always buy lots of them, you know the layovers can be boring,” he said. Felicity blinked a few times and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Yeah they can be,” she said. “Boring I mean. The layovers…”

“Gummy bears?” Angie looked into the paper bag and her chubby hand pulled out one pack greedily.

“Thank you,” said Felicity. “I’ll give it back as soon as I buy it,” she assured him and helped her daughter with opening the small plastic bag.

“Come on, it’s just gummy bears, don’t give it back,” he laughed. “I probably shouldn’t even eat them, it says they are for children…”

“When I was a kid I kept reminding my mom of that, it annoyed me that she ate them constantly,” laughed Felicity. “And now I eat even more than Angie,” she confessed. “Right little one?” Angie just looked at her mom with wide eyes chewing on her gummy bear.

“Wight,” she admitted and clumsily shifted, looking out of the window again.

“Do you also layover in Chicago?” Asked Mr. Handsome and Felicity nodded with a smile.

“It’s going to be long two hours,” she said and Oliver laughed offering her another pack of gummy bears.

**

Felicity was looking at the departure board with her eyes wide. What was going on? Flight to New York - Cancelled, Los Angeles - Cancelled, Las Vegas - CANCELLED!

“What? It can’t be cancelled,” she muttered and quickly went to the information desk. 

Angie was stirring impatiently in her arms, too tired to stand on her own. The line was very long, but when her turn finally came she was sent to another information desk… Due to very bad weather condition almost all flights has been cancelled. Now, she was supposed to wait an hour for the bus to take her and other passengers to the hotel. Felicity felt like crying. Driving from Chicago to Las Vegas would take too long even in normal weather conditions. According to the news, right now it was snowing like crazy in Chicago, some people even called it a snow storm. A few streets were blocked by cars that were buried in the white substance. Going to the hotel seemed to be the only solution. Felicity hoped they would manage to go there before the snow makes it impossible. She sat on the bench, sleeping girl in her arms. Felicity called her mother and explained everything. They were talking very long on the phone and the hour passed quickly. Felicity had to wake Angie up in order to dress the girl up.

“Mommy, where’s our plane?” asked the girl and her mother’s heart hurt.

“You know, Angie…” started Felicity, “The weather is really bad, it’s snowing all the time and… our plane can’t take us to Granny,” she explained. “We are going to go to a hotel by bus, you know? It’s going to be great, we’re going to have fun!”

“No, no, no! I want decorate Chwistmas tree!” whined Angie and her eyes filled up with tears.

“We are going to! Just… a little later, okay? Not today, not tomorrow, but as soon as it stops snowing, okay?” Felicity tried her best to calm her daughter down. She walked up to the exit, carrying the crying Angie and the big suitcase. By the door it turned out that the opening mechanism is broken and she has to open it on her own. The heavy suitcase fell out of Felicity’s hands and Felicity kicked it angrily.

“Need a hand?” Asked the familiar voice. Mr. Handsome picked up the suitcase and opened the door for Felicity and her sobbing daughter.

“Thank you!” said Felicity and laughed with relief.

“Where’s your bus?”

“Oh, park place number 7, I believe they said it’s on the right,” said Felicity and started walking next to the man who was still carrying her suitcase.

“Mine too,” he noticed. “Were you supposed to go to Las Vegas?”

“Yes… So did you?” She guessed wrapping the blanket around Angie. The snow was falling pretty bad, and the wind was extremely cold.

“Yes,” he said and dropped her suitcase next to his in the bus’ boot. “Get in, quickly!” he yelled hoping she would hear him despite the loud howling of the wind. 

Felicity jumped into the bus, Oliver right behind her. She took a seat next to the window, Angie on her lap, still crying quietly despite Felicity’s attempts to cheer her up. Mr. Handsome was passing by and Felicity smiled at him taking her purse off the free sit.

“She won’t be sitting here?” He asked looking at Angie.

“No, she always sits with me,” told him Felicity. “I don’t really know why…”

“Mr. Gummy Bear?” asked Angie when she saw the man sitting next to them.

“Angie!”

“That’s fine,” he smiled. “My name is Oliver, by the way.”

“I’m Felicity,” she whispered, blushing. “So… what a fancy Christmas we’re going to have,” she said. “Who was waiting for you in Vegas?” she asked out of curiosity.

“No one,” he said simply. “I hate Christmas, I was just going to Vegas to drink myself into oblivion and lose some money in casino,” he confessed.

“O - oh,” gasped Felicity not knowing what to say. “Do you do that often?” she asked finally.

“What? Gambling?” 

She nodded.

“No, actually I’ve done that just once because going to Vegas at Christmas is pretty expensive and… the gambling itself is pretty expensive,” he explained.

“Was it fun?”

“I don’t remember,” he responded honestly.

“Wow…” she muttered and helped Angie to crawl out of the blanket.

“Is there… is there a Christmas tree where we go?” asked Angie quietly.

“I don’t know sweetie” Felicity hugged the girl and wiped the tears from her face. “But it’s going to be okay, you’re with mommy and it’s the most important thing for Christmas, you know?” she felt that Oliver shifted restlessly, when she looked at him he was facing away from her.

“To be with mommy?”

“Yes, to be with mommy,” repeated Felicity and looked at Oliver discreetly. Someone who hated Christmas as much as he did had to have a reason. And a bad luck to be stuck in one bus with two crazy Christmas lovers - Felicity and Angie.

“But you not with your mommy,” whined the girl looking at her mother sadly.

“I’ve got my little Angie, that’s all I need” laughed Felicity and kissed her daughter. 

Oliver was quietly sitting next to them, wishing he had someone to spend Christmas with…

**

“Excuse me?” said Felicity and Oliver in unison looking at the receptionist as if she was crazy.

“I said that there is only one room left, we can’t do anything,” repeated the woman with a fake smile. If it wasn’t for the stupid snowstorm she wouldn’t have to work through Christmas. “People has been transported to the nearby hotels from every single airport in the state, we apologize for the inconvenience,” she said. 

“Mr. Queen, Oliver and Mrs. Smoak, Felicity with Smoak, Angela has been assigned to room number 312, that would be 3rd floor on the left, have a nice stay,” she looked at the next person in the line and Felicity hopelessly took the key. 

Apparently she and Angie will share a room with the Christmas hating stranger. Well, at least he was good looking. They both quietly went to the elevator, the silence awkward.

“Mommy? Where is the Christmas tree?” asked Angie sadly when they entered the room.

“Well, honey I’m afraid there’s no Christmas tree, but you’re going to decorate one with Granny when we visit her,” assured her Felicity.

“Alright, can I take this bed?” asked Oliver putting his backpack on the single bed that stood in the corner of the room, leaving a double bed for Felicity and Angie. 

Felicity nodded her head and hesitantly looked around. The room looked more like a hospital room, all white, furniture old and ugly, without any kind of Christmas decorations.

“Do you think it will stop snowing tomorrow?” Felicity quietly asked Oliver.

He looked at her and her tiny daughter and sighed.

“According to the forecast it won’t,” he said. “Who needs Christmas anyways?”

“Right, you’re right,” agreed Felicity with a fake smile. “We don’t need Christmas, we’ll just decorate the tree whenever we want, Christmas is not a nice time at all…”

“You said it nice time,” whined Angie and looked at her mother, clearly confused.

“Oh honey…” Felicity walked up to her daughter and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“But Santa finds little Angie everywhere?” whispered the girl and Felicity’s heart broke into pieces.

“Uhh…”

“Everywhere?” repeated Angie anxiously.

“You know what,” started Oliver. “Santa can’t give all presents during just one night so your gifts are waiting for you at Granny’s home,” he said. “Santa thought that we’d manage to catch the plane.” 

Angie was looking at Oliver with her big eyes wide open. Oliver suddenly felt very bad for the girl. He knew how disappointment felt and he didn’t want her to feel it.

“Come on Angie,” Felicity got up and took her daughter in her arms. “We’ll try to find a Christmas tree, okay?” She suggested and her daughter’s eyes lit up. Her daughter wanted a Christmas tree so she was going to get one.

“Yeah, I’ll just try to find some booze,” said Oliver grumpily and followed them out of the room. Couldn’t they just enjoy the free food? Or go to sleep? Christmas was just a day like any other, only a lot worse!

**

“You know, it doesn’t have to be a real Christmas tree, a branch of anything would be fine, really,” Felicity tried to convince the heartless receptionist to give her anything to make the room cozy, but the woman just shook her head. “Then maybe you have a few sheets of paper and a green pen? You know, my little Angie really wants a Christmas tree. It can be any pen, can be black, or it can even be a pencil…”

“Mrs. Smoak, please don’t interrupt my work, you’re not the only person who’s unhappy to be stuck in here,” the receptionist said sternly. “Just drink hot chocolate and go back to your room. Or order it to your room.”

“But what about the Christmas spirit?” argued Felicity. “What about everyone being kind and helpful? Come on, you have to have a piece of paper and a pen!”

“I tried to be kind, do you want me to call security?”

“No, I’m sorry…” whispered Felicity and tears shone in her eyes.

“No Christmas?” Angie seemed to lots all of her hope.

“Sorry baby…” Felicity hugged her daughter tightly and turned around to go back to the room. Her eyes met Oliver’s. He was standing in the hall looking at the scene blankly. She could tell he has already drank a few beers and she imagined that this night would be a nightmare. She couldn’t count on another room for her or for him, all rooms were full, some people got mattresses to sleep on the floor.

“I told you, Christmas sucks,” said Oliver with a sad expression and watched as his roommates walked up the stairs. Little Angie was looking straight at him with eyes full of tears. 

“Good evening, beautiful,” he said to the receptionist as he approached her desk. “Stuck here with boring people on a Christmas Eve?”

“Yeah, and I was hoping for a nice Christmas,” she stuttered and blushed. Oliver was used to the fact that he could… affect women. Apparently good looks and charm could do magic.

“We all were… Do you have a boyfriend at home?” He asked and grinned when she shook her head. “Well, what are you writing in there?” he asked hovering over the desk, the scent of his cologne made her blush go even further down her neck.

“You know, just some boring stuff…”

“Could you maybe… loan me some of those pens? Or highlighters? I’d like to draw something for… um… for the little girl,” he looked at the stairs trying to tell the woman who he thought about with no words.

“Oh, you’re so sweet,” sighed the receptionist, “Men these days don’t know how to deal with children” she added.

“Well, maybe I’m the only exception,” he said bluntly.

“Do you want paper sheets?” she asked, pulling all of the highlighters and colorful pens from her drawer.

“And scissors, please?” He said, his look on her flushed neck driving her insane. 

She gave him scissors as well as paper sheets and smiled cheekly.

“You’re just amazing,” she whispered. “The kid is going to be so happy! But please bring the scissors back, it’s a real struggle, we keep losing them all the time…”

“Sure, I’ll give them back,” he said, smiled, and started walking away.

“Mr… Mr…”

“Just Oliver,” he said and looked at the woman who called him.

“Oliver… Here, have some glitter, oh and glue…”

“Thank you…” he quickly looked at her name tag. “Lindsay, I’m sure the little Christmas monster would love the glitter,” he said and gave her one of his overwhelming smiles. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Oliver” she said happily and looked at him as he walked up the stairs to the room.

“Hey, little Angel - Angie,” sang Oliver when he entered the room. 

Felicity and her daughter were tickling each other on the bed, Christmas songs were played in the background from Felicity’s tablet. Angie’s mother quickly jumped up alerted by the stranger calling for her daughter. She didn’t like the idea of Oliver being in the room with them and now when he was probably drunk she picked Angie up ready to escape the room. 

“Woah… easy,” he said and stopped walking seeing panic in Felicity’s eyes. “I have glitter and… things and we can make a Christmas tree!” he tried to sound happy, but failed, though he truly smiled when he saw Angie’s amazed expression.

“Christmas tree?” Asked Angie hopefully. Felicity hesitantly released her daughter from her grip and let her sit on the rug, next to Oliver.

“Yeah, it’s not real, we have to draw it, but it’s gonna be cool, right?” he laughed.

“Wight!” agreed Angie and looked at Oliver with awe. 

Oliver started gluing the pieces of paper together, Angie was staring at him, her eyes wide. When he decided he glued a sheet big enough he started cutting circles out of another piece of paper.

“Here, take one marker and color this, it will be an ornament,” he explained. Angie started touching all of the markers, not knowing which color to choose. Felicity knelt beside her and smiled at Oliver.

“Which color do you like?” she asked, trying to encourage her little girl. 

She finally chose red and started coloring the paper ornament. A few minutes later all three of them were coloring the flat circles in pleasurable silence.

“Okay girls,” said Oliver taking the green highlighter. “Your very talented companion will now draw a tree” he announced making Felicity chuckle. 

He started drawing, but it didn’t look like anything. “Huh… let’s try a different way,” he suggested, swiped the paper and drew three triangles on the papers that were glues together. 

He gave Felicity and Angela the other green markers and they started coloring the improvised tree. Felicity took a yellow marker and painted a tree trunk. Angie started gluing the round ornaments to the tree and Oliver with Felicity struggled with a perfect star on the top of their tree.

“Is it ready?” Asked Angie excitedly when Felicity placed the painting on the nightstand, resting it against the wall.

“Yes my little angel, it’s ready,” laughed Felicity and looked at Oliver. “How did you managed to to that?” she asked and Oliver knew exactly what she meant.

“Oh well… People keep telling me I’m extremly handsome and I guess I am…” he said, grinning.

“You are,” she admitted awkwardly and nodded her head. “And… You’re very… I mean thank you,” she babbled. “Thank you, she’s really happy now,” said Felicity and looked at Oliver shyly. “And I’m happy… because she’s happy, you know?”

“Yeah” he looked at Angie who was still admiring the tree. She was dancing clumsily next to the nightstand, singing quietly. “Something bad has happened a long time ago,” he confessed. “And Christmas reminds me of the bad memories…”

“Then make new memories,” she whispered. “Good ones.”

“Yeah, I think I should,” he agreed. “You live in Starling, right?”

“Yes…”

“Then maybe we could hang out sometime?” he suggested, swaying on his feet anxiously.

“I’d like that,” said Felicity and wished they had a mistletoe hanging up above them. “Oliver?”

“Huh?”

“The… um… Santa is not going to find her here,” worried Angie’s mom quietly, making sure her daughter won’t hear it.

“Hmm, I think after we fixed the Christmas tree out of scratch we can handle some paper presents?” He winked at her.

“I guess we can,” she agreed and smiled when she saw her daughter laying on the huge bed, looking sleepily at the paper Christmas Tree. Thanks to Oliver they had a chance to have real Christmas.

**

“Are you sure you didn’t get pneumonia?” asked Felicity with worry after Oliver came back from the outside carrying the mistletoe.

“There’s a decent chance I did,” said Oliver and struggled with the little branches to tie them with a tiny thread and hang them up.

“Oliver… I just wanted to say that if you want to talk, I’m here,” offered Felicity. “Seems like we’re going to be stuck here for a while…”

“Do you want to know what happened?” he asked bitterly. Felicity shook her head and opened her mouth to say something, but he was faster. “They died,” he said simply. “Everyone I loved. Today. Years ago,” he whispered with tears in his eyes. He has never really said it aloud and he had to admit to himself that he felt relieved.

“I’m so sorry, Oliver…”

“And I’m alive and I wonder why,” he confessed. Felicity took a deep breath and walked up to him. His trembling hands tried to deal with the mistletoe and the thread and Felicity took a hold on it to help him with putting the decoration in place.

“You wonder why?” she confronted him. “Because you have a beautiful life ahead of you,” she said softly. “Haven’t you see Angie’s face yesterday? You’ll bring joy to so many people…”

“What if I don’t know how?”

“You? Look at all of this!” Felicity looked around the room and realized she’s standing under a mistletoe with Oliver - the most handsome guy in the world that she has just met about a day ago. He apparently noticed it as well and inhaled sharply. Felicity stood on her tiptoes and kissed him sweetly on his mouth. “Thank you,” she said. Angie sighed loudly and they both looked towards her. “She’s going to have a nice Christmas thanks to you…”

“Thank you,” said Oliver quietly. “Both of you. For helping me make new memories,” he said and leaned down to plant a kiss on Felicity’s lips.

“Anytime,” she gasped.

**

Angie woke up on the Christmas morning swirling in bed as she opened her eyes. She jumped on the bed when she realized that the room looks somehow different than it did before she fell asleep. The paper ornaments were hanging on thin threads, the mistletoe branches were decorated with glitter, a recently downloaded fireplace flames app on Felicity’s tablet was apparently working, imitating a tiny fireplace. Her gaze landed on the paper Christmas Tree with three paper presents under it.

“Merry Christmas, little Angie,” sang Felicity and walked up to the bed to pick her daughter up.

“Mewy Christmas mommy,” said Angie, still half asleep. “Santa didn’t forget?” She asked pointing at the tree small present.

“Oh well, actually he has already dropped your gifts to Granny’s home, but…” Felicity walked up to the nightstand and carefully took one of the boxes. “Oliver and I tried to be Santa for a while and we’ve made presents from what we had here” she explained. Angie reached for one green box curiously.

“This one is for Oliver, yours is red” said Felicity and took her paper box colored with an orange highlighter. All three of them opened the boxes and hang the slapdash origami on a nightstand lamp. Three colorful globes covered in glitter were enough to make all three of them happy.

“Mr. Gummy Bear?” Angie hugged her mom and looked at Oliver shyly. “Thank you for my Christmas twee,” she said and smiled at him.

“Come on, Oliver, it’s a Christmas hug, it’s obligatory,” said Felicity and Oliver let her pull him into a hug. These two crazy Christmas lovers managed to make him like Christmas too. Looking at the ugly drawing Oliver felt that his heart was warming up. 

**

Four years later Donna, Felicity, Angie, Oliver and their dog Tildy were sitting on a carpet in front of a large fireplace. As a tradition they all made ornaments for each other, hung them up on a tall Christmas Tree and admired them all evening long. Angie was a big girl now, but she still loved decorating the tree with her dad and Granny. Felicity was always the one to chase Tildy, the little ornament thief around the house.

“Merry Christmas, Oliver,” said Felicity and kissed his cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Felicity,” he whispered into her ear and hugged her tightly. His free arm reached for Angie. “Hey, it’s a Christmas hug, everyone! It’s obligatory,” he said and laughed when Donna and Angie joined the hug. 

Even Tildy sensed something’s going on and stopped chewing on her Christmas gift that already was left with only one, gummy arm. 

“You know… it’s a truly special day today,” he said looking at Angie - the person who brought them together. “Today, years ago your mommy and me kissed for the first time.” He said, proud of the memories that he has made with them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please leave a review (as a Christmas gift for me :))
> 
> With the best Holiday wishes,
> 
> ~ missafairy :)


End file.
